York Peppermint Patties: Fresh vs. Stale

Some random bits scribbled by Jeremy Zawodny

I had the most amazing experience today. I ate a few fresh York Peppermint Patties.

This may not sound all that remarkable, but you need to realize that I have a habit of eating the little bite-sized treats after lunch most days. It's like a mini-desert. The Yahoo Mart (our little on-campus convenience store) has them individually wrapped in one of those big boxes at the checkout counter.

I'd noticed that the box was getting more and more empty as the last few weeks went by but thought nothing of it. But today it was full. I grabbed a few as I got a pack of gum (Trident Tropical Twist, if you must know) and headed to my desk.

The difference became apparent as I bit into the first one. Rather than being almost crunchy and a little dry, the white inside was nearly creamy. The improvement both texture and taste was simply amazing!

And, as a bonus, the dark chocolate on the outside had not started to whiten yet. Not in the least.

I now have a completely new appreciation for the difference between "fresh" and "stale" peppermint patties. I wonder if there's an expiration date on the box. Because there certainly isn't one on the individually wrapped treats.

I have also had the opposite experience. I regularly visit Costco and buy a box (8-10 packs) of gum. The first thing I do it take the plastic off the box and let them air out bit. The gum is too soft initially. The flavor is to intense if it doesn't sit there for a while.

The "whitening" of the dark chocolate can also vary depending on what time of year the candy is made. Things like York patties and Ding Dongs with the chocolate coating has a fair bit of paraffin wax mixed in to raise the melting point so they don't get gooey in the package. In the warmer months they tend to put more paraffin in them, and as a result, they'll be a little waxier and the flavor will be a little less intense. I'd bet these York patties were made in the winter months while the previous batch had been sitting around in the bin (or in the stockroom) since last summer.

It's kind of amazing that so many candy bar manufacturers have switched from the "folded paper" packaging to "cold sealed plastic" for this exact reason, freshness, but the York peppermint patties haven't. I mean every bite-sized candy bar comes in a cold sealed plastic package. Why is York holding out? Are they trying to save nostalgic cachet by still having the folded packaging?

If you like the fresh peppermint patties, buy PINK. We noticed last Valentine's Day that the pink patties were much better than the white and concluded because they were limited editions they must be really fresh. Now they are out again for October for Breast Cancer Awareness and just as fresh - of course, living only hours from Hershey may aid in the freshness we experience.

I am pregnant and have had an unusually intense craving for peppermint patties - the Christmas wrapped ones (not the boring old silver ones nor Pearson's - far inferior in my opinion). My husband failed me the 1st evening of this craving, but my sister visiting stepped up to the plate and brought home 3 bags. Sometimes pharmacies (got the inside track from a disgruntled employee) will stash all their Christmas stuff in the back room and bring it out again the next year. If your peppermint patties are white I am guessing a serious health hazard. Well those 3 bags are gone and returning to the store (I swore I was going to stop), I caught the Valentine's day ones on the way out. I am in IL, a little further from the Hershey factory, and they are fresh and fantastic and absolutely adorable.

I am a fan of York Peppermint Patties. Have been for years and for a long time have made"wrapper balls" out of the mint wrappers. I used to give them to my grandson. Never much larger than a golf ball. Couple of years ago I started one in earnest for myself. Looks like I just put the last of the wrappers on today because when we now purchase the mints in the bag (1.4 oz.) it has become obvious the mints are smaller and the wrapper is a bag type affair and not a piece of flat wrapper paper. In other words I cannot use this type of wrapper at all. It needs to be ripped open. My "mint wrapper" ball is just a bit larger than softball. Heavy too. It is 100% wrappers.
My question is I cannot find an email for York (especially) so I can ask then what happened?
Do you know of any contact I can make?
Harv

on November 9, 2009 12:48 PM

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